Prawle Point (, "lookout hill") is a coastal headland in south

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is the southernmost point of Devon. Just to the west is Elender Cove, and further west are Gammons Head Beach, also known as Maceley Cove, and Gammon Head. Access is from the village of East Prawle along a single-track road, at the end of which a

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

car park is present. At the point itself, there are high cliffs. The

National Coastwatch Institution The National Coastwatch Institution is a voluntary sector, voluntary organisation and registered charity, providing a visual watch along the United Kingdom, UK's coasts, and is not to be confused with Her Majesty's Coastguard, HM Coastguard. ...

has a station at the point. The area around the point is a noted area for

cirl bunting The cirl bunting ( ), (''Emberiza cirlus''), is a passerine bird in the Emberiza, bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. It breeds across southern Europe, on the List of islands ...

, a localised bird in Britain, while the area has also attracted many rare

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...

birds including Britain's second chestnut-sided warbler. The point is included within the Prawle Point and Start Point Site of Special Scientific Interest, which stretches from here to Start Point.

Shipwrecks

Many ships have been wrecked at Prawle Point. '' Lalla Rookh'', a tea clipper, was wrecked after striking Gammon head, afterwards being broken up and blown into Elender Cove, where she lies underneath the sand today. In December 1992 the ship ''Demetrios'', formerly the ''Long Lin'' from China, was being towed by a tug from

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

to a Mediterranean scrapyard. During terrible gales in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, the tow broke and the ''Demetrios'' drifted helplessly. The ship struck the rocks at Prawle Point on 18 December, breaking her back in a few hours. The wreck attracted huge crowds for many weeks, and eventually a local salvage company cut up the ship and towed away the remains to

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. However, the cost of scrapping the ship sent them into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...

. Some remains were, however left over and are still visible today.Larne, R and B. (2000). Shipwrecks of South Devon, page 20.

References

{{Authority control Headlands of Devon Birdwatching sites in England Tourist attractions in Devon South Hams